This invention relates to a toothpick holder which holds a multiplicity of toothpicks therein so as to be capable of dispensing one toothpick after another by simple external manipulation and is applicable to a variety of kinds of toothpicks of different lengths presently commercially available.
A variety of toothpick holders of such type have already been proposed. However, all of the already proposed ones have been defective in that they are quite complex in mechanism and tend to fail to properly function within a relatively short period of time of use. In an effort to obviate such defects, a toothpick holder has been proposed in which a container containing a multiplicity of toothpicks therein is arranged to be movable relative to a support base so that the toothpicks can be dispensed one by one each time the container is urged downward relative to the support base. Although this toothpick holder can operate reliably when the number of toothpicks charged in the container is nearly equal to the capacity and the toothpicks are contained in parallel with one another or lined up in the same direction within the container, the toothpicks tend to incline in random directions within the container when the number of the toothpicks in the container is decreased to less than about one half the number of the initially charged ones after repeated dispensing of the toothpicks. In such a case, the toothpicks remaining in the container are unable to move smoothly toward a toothpick receiver disposed at the bottom of the container as an integral part of the support base, and the toothpicks inclined in the random directions are frequently fractured by the downward external force produced by the downward movement of the container, resulting in impossibility of proper dispensing of the toothpicks. Thus, this prior art toothpick holder has also be defective in that it tends to be disabled due to the breakage of the toothpicks held therein.